Road upgrades ready by year-end

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

By the end of the year, motorists may no longer have to battle for limited space in the congested areas of Cawang in East Jakarta; Tomang and Jl. Daan Mogot in West Jakarta; and Senen in Central Jakarta; as three underpasses and an overpass will become operational.

The City Public Works Agency deputy head Wishnu Subagio said on Thursday that from the four projects, only the Cawang underpass work had been completely finished.

"Our construction work on the Senen underpass is 85 percent complete, the Tomang underpass is 90 percent and the Jl. Daan Mogot overpass 83 percent complete," he said.

Apart from the four traffic improvement projects, an overpass in Tanjung Barat, South Jakarta, which is being fully financed by the Ministry of Settlements and Regional Infrastructure, is near completion and is expected to be open to the public sometime this month.

In total, the city administration has spent Rp 235.5 billion (US$25.60 million) for the four projects. Some Rp 68.5 billion was taken from the 2004 revised city budget, which was just approved last month.

The administration has been criticized for its inconsistent policies. It has promoted its efforts to improve public transportation by establishing the busway and making plans to build a monorail, a subway and a river transportation system.

However, the construction of underpasses and overpasses will benefit private car owners, transportation observers said, as it would encourage people to buy new cars.

Overpass and underpass projects

Project Name Cost Progress in %

Cawang underpass Rp 41.1 billion 100 %

Senen underpass Rp 73.2 billion 85 %

Tomang underpass Rp 26.57billion 90 %

Daan Mogot overpass Rp 54.8 billion 83 %

Under the Ministry of Settlement and Regional Infrastructure

Tanjung Barat and Pasar Rebo overpasses Rp 129 billion

Jl. Suprapto and Jl. Pramuka overpasses Rp 118 billion

Source: Jakarta Public Works Agency